Health Reform Central

Americans are in the midst of a frightening economic crisis – one whose effects could spell catastrophe for a huge segment of the population. As unemployment rises, so does the percentage of the population that faces the prospect of not being able to afford quality health insurance coverage.

As a result, the American people are increasingly raising the cry for reform of nation’s ailing health care system. Fortunately, President Barack Obama has joined with like-minded legislators to make health reform one of the administration’s top priorities. It appears, for now at least, that health reform measures could be enacted in Congress this year.

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Health reform resources

UPDATED – Health Reform Legislation (March 11, 2010)

Will you be one of 2.4 million Americans bankrupted each year by medical bills? (Health Insurance Resource Center) – March 11

Democrats to use 'reconciliation' to finish health care: Reid
(MarketWatch) – March 11

House Dem 'no' votes on healthcare reform pile up
(The Hill) – March 11

The health-care bill is getting more popular
(Ezra Klein/The Washington Post) – March 11

Senate Health Bill Would Cut Deficit By $118 Billion Over Decade
(Huffington Post) – March 11

Top Line: – Does Health Care Deadline Matter?
(The Note/ABC News) – March 10

On health-care reform, Republicans target Democrats' division over reconciliation
(The Washington Post) – March 10

Stupak: Health bill abortion fight can be resolved
(Associated Press) – March 9

AP Health Care Poll: Only FOUR PERCENT Of Americans Donít Want Any Reform
(Huffington Post) – March 9

Limbaugh: Iíll Leave US If Health Care Reform Passes (VIDEO)
(Huffington Post) – March 9

Health Careís Obstacle: No Will to Cut
(The New York Times) – March 9

Insurance Industryís Final Ad Blitz: Donít Blame Us For Your High Costs
(Huffington Post) – March 9

How Blue Cross Became Part Of A Dysfunctional Health Care System
(Jonathan Cohn/The New Republic) – March 8

What can you do to help reduce the number of uninsured?
(Health Insurance Resource Center) – March 3

What do we need health insurers for anyway?
(Los Angeles Times) – Feb. 28

Deaths Rising for Lack of Insurance, Study Finds
(The New York Times) – Feb. 26

Do Uninsured People Really Die Sooner?
(True/Slant) – Feb. 26

Do Doctors in America Turn Away the Uninsured?
(Huffington Post) – Feb. 26

A 'Government Takeover' of Health Care?
(The New York Times) – Feb. 26

Dems rip health insurers for $1M salaries, posh retreats
(The Salt Lake Tribune) – Feb. 24

Health Care No Stranger To Reconciliation Process
(National Public Radio) – Feb. 24

Anthem Blue Cross plans to go ahead with rate hikes in California
(Los Angeles Times) – Feb. 24

A Bird's-Eye View Of Health Overhaul Lobbying
(Kaiser Health News) – Feb. 24

Democrats on track to revive healthcare overhaul
(Los Angeles Times – Feb. 23

Poll Shows Less Fear on Health Care Overhaul
(ABC News) – Feb. 23

The President's Proposal – Everything Depends On . . .
(Maggie Mahar/Health Beat) – Feb. 22

Obama Details Plan to Expand Health Care to Uninsured
(The New York Times) – Feb. 22

Health insurance crises prove the sky IS falling
(Health Insurance Resource Center) – Feb. 19

Americans still want health-care reform
(Ezra Klein/Washington Post) – Feb. 10

How Insurers Reject You
(Slate) – Feb. 10

The National Anthem – And Why We Need Health Care Reform So Desperately
(Robert Reich) – Feb. 10

What Happens If Nothing Happens to Health Care?
(Wall Street Journal) – Feb. 4

The 'American Dream': coming soon to America? (Health Insurance Resource Center) – Jan. 14

Will health reform help pry open U.S. job lock? (MarketWatch) – Jan. 14

CBS Poll: For Many, Health Care Reform Does Not Go Far Enough (Firedoglake) – Jan. 12

Topline differences between House and Senate legislation (Politico.com) – Jan. 5

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as Amended

Americans would feel varying effects from health bill (USA TODAY) – Dec. 28

The House, Senate and You: A New Guide to Health Reform (Kaiser Health News) – Dec. 24

Frequently asked questions (ABC News) – Dec. 21

Weekly video updates from the Office of Health Reform

Glass Half Empty/ Glass Half Full – 3-part series (Maggie Mahar/Health Beat) – Dec. 15

Health Reform for Beginners (Ezra Klein,The Washington Post)

Follow media coverage of health reform, from national proposals to updates on efforts at the state level.

Across the country

Meet some of the many advocacy groups working for state and national reform.

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The crisis

The case for reform

The Case for Health Reform (Center for American Progress)

The Cost of Inaction State-by-State Fact Sheets
(Democratic Policy Committee)

How Health Reform Can Help Rural Areas
(New America Foundation)

Health Reform: The Cost of Failure audio recording and full report (PDF) (Urban Institute)

The Economic Case for Health Reform.
(White House Council of Economic Advisers)

The Case for Health Reform: The Moral, Economic & Quality Motives for Action video intro and full text of the report.
(New America Foundation)

Interactive Map: Dramatic Increase in the Uninsured Rate in Every State (Center for American Progress)

Who's insured? Who's not? A map (The New York Times)

Consumer voices

Americans Talk About Health Care (U.S. Office of Health Reform)

Health Care Stories for America (Organizing for America)
Stories from thousands of ordinary Americans who have watched their premiums rise faster than wages, and spiraling costs shackle American businesses – put a personal touch on the health care crisis.

Recommended reading

Hard Times in the Heartland (U.S. Office of Health Reform)

Sick: The Untold Story of America's Health Care Crisis – and the People Who Pay the Price (Jonathan Cohn)

Critical: What We Can Do about the Health-Care Crisis (Tom Daschle)

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Proposed solutions

In Congress

President Barack Obama's 2010 budget and health reform plans.

The Affordable Health Choices Act, a reform plan drafted by Senator Edward Kennedy

Description of Policy Options: Transforming the Health Care Delivery System – Proposals to Improve Patient Care and Reduce Health Care Costs
(Reform recommendations proposed by Sen. Max Baucus and Sen. Charles Grassley)

Legislation authored by Senator Max Baucus

Bi-partisan legislation focused on the needs of small businesses

Public Plan

Pros And Cons Of A Public Insurance Plan
(Health Affairs Blog)

A Modest Proposal for a Competing Public Health Plan (policy paper)
(New America Foundation)

The Public-Plan Option: A Roundtable With Stuart Butler, Jacob Hacker, and Len Nichols
(Health Affairs)

Ask the Expert: How to Build an Effective Public Health Insurance Plan
(Center for American Progress)

The Case For Public Plan Choice In National Health Reform
(Berkeley Law Center on Health, Economic, and Family Security)

Insurance exchange

New Health Insurance Marketplace: Who Should Represent You?
(New America Foundation)

Health Insurance Exchanges: The Most Important, Undernoticed Part of Health Reform
(The Washington Post)

Health Insurance Exchanges Offer Consumers New Options
(HispanicBusiness.com)

Single-Payer

Single-Payer Resources
(Physicians for a National Health Program)

Health Reform for Beginners: The Difference Between Socialized Medicine, Single-Payer Health Care, and What We'll Be Getting
(Ezra Klein, Washington Post)

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